Page 62 of Not Your Basic Love Story

“Look at me,” he said, his voice quiet yet commanding.

I didn’t want to. So far, I’d kept the tears at bay, kept it cold and clinical, separated my heart from my words, shielding it from further damage.

Gently, he tilted my face up towards his.

Our eyes met; his a soft, warm, brown of infinite depth. His brow was furrowed in that heartbreaking way. My bottom lip trembled. For a moment, his hand remained on my face, caressing my cheek, his thumb running along my jaw. I leaned into him, my whole body yearning for more of his touch, to close the space between us and never separate again.

I pulled my face away, the tears I’d been suppressing threatening my composure. He held my hand tighter and pulled me farther along the bridge, deeper into the forest.

“Now it’s my turn,” he said. “I’m surprised you recorded us, but I’m not mad. It was rude to argue in front of you, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used that moment to bring up moving in with you. It was poor timing on my part, but I don’t regret it. These past few months with you have made me think. A lot.”

It was his turn to take a deep breath.

“My whole life has been planned. My parents had two kids, a boy and a girl. They raised me with the expectation that I’d continue the legacy they’d grown. My grandfather had moved to this country at a time when he was not wanted, was not welcome, and scraped and saved and built a business and a home and a community. His children, my father one of them, took that and ran with it, bringing wealth and prosperity to our families through six-day workweeks and twelve-hour days. For me, all I have to do is keep the ball rolling. But I see things differently now, with you in my life. When I met you, from that first moment on the plane, you shocked me with how different you were: loud, outspoken, and not afraid to say what you wanted and to go out and get it.”

I grimaced and looked up at him, unsure if those were good qualities to have. His smile told me he considered it a great compliment.

Dev continued. “You put some things into perspective for me, for who I wanted to be, for what I wanted my life to look like. You showed me it’s okay to want something different and to chase after it, even if it means going against your family’s plans. In the end, I still want to be there for my family, to look after them and continue the legacy they’ve grown.”

He stopped and turned to face me, taking both of my hands in his. We’d reached the other end of the bridge, surrounded by trees taller than skyscrapers and older than the city itself.

“You also showed me how deeply I can love someone else. I’d sort of resigned myself to the life my parents had lived. It is a good life. They’re very happy. But the sort of passion between you and I? Now that I’ve tasted it, I can’t live without it. I can’t live without you. You’re all I want, Rebecca. I know you love me, too. The fact that you’re willing to leave what we have out of respect for me, for my family, is the greatest act of love I could ever imagine.”

My heart was pounding so hard I was worried I’d crack a rib. Then, he slowly descended onto one knee. My head swam, unsure if I was dreaming or hallucinating or what.

“Rebecca. Will you marry me?”

He looked up at me. His eyes reflected so much hope, so much promise.

Over the next fleeting seconds, my mind raced for an answer, his proposal so unexpected that I hadn’t had time to consider any possible future for us other than an ending.

He loved me. He wanted to be with me. He wanted to make it work.

What did I want?

I wanted him. More than anything in the world, I wanted him. Everything else floated away, like dandelion tufts in the breeze.

“Yes,” I managed to squeak, tears running down my cheeks.

And then I was in his arms. He held me tight as if I were more precious than diamonds but likely to vanish at any moment. I pressed my face against his chest, listening to his heart pounding, and allowed myself a quiet sob. He kissed my temple, the feeling of his beard against the side of my face drawing tingles along my spine. I lifted my face to his, and he kissed me, his lips enveloping mine. It was if my soul wanted to leap out of my own body and be one with his.

After a moment, he gently pulled me away. His eyes were red-rimmed, cheeks wet. I laughed and wiped at his tears with my thumb, caressing his face. He grinned and pulled a small box from his pocket. I collapsed against his chest, barely able to hold myself up on my own two feet. He chuckled and pulled me back again, forcing me to look at the box.

He opened it. A giant diamond ring sat there, framed in white gold. With a slightly trembling hand, he slid it over my finger. I gaped from the huge diamond and back up to his face.

He looked as if he’d won the lottery.

We were engaged.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

We couldn’t stop giggling and stealing glances at each other the whole way back to my apartment. Soon to beourapartment! Once we arrived, we barely had time to take off our clothes before consummating our engagement. Just knowing he was mine, that he wanted me to be his, made everything one thousand times better. I couldn’t believe merely hours ago, I’d planned on never seeing him again. Honestly, I didn’t really remember what had been going through my head. It felt like a different person’s problems. Graham? Who dat?

We lay in a tangled, sweaty heap on the rug in my living room, clothes strewn about, fingers tracing patterns on each one another’s bodies, memorizing each curve and dimple. I stretched out my arm, staring at my hand and the giant rock adorning it. It was way bigger than anything I would have picked for myself. Gaudy, in a way.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“I love it. Are you hungry?” I kissed his cheek

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